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The #BestMedicine for Stress Could Be as Simple as a Weekly Night Out

by Stephanie Dube Dwilson

I’ve found that, when it comes to stress and overcoming the blues (no matter the cause), the #bestmedicine is sometimes just a simple night out. Recently, the term “staycation” became very popular as people learned that they could have mini-vacations at home without the expense of leaving town. A weekly night out works in a similar way. For me, one of the biggest keys to making this idea work is commitment.

Plan It, and Stick to It

To start, pick one night a week that will work best for your schedule. Is there something that happens every week that you’d like to attend? It can be a weekly event, such as a trivia night, bowling, a movie, or even a sports game. Or you can make it a creative crafting night and schedule a different experience each week, such as mosaic art, painting with a glass of wine, or scrapbooking. Invite your friends and make it a group outing! The key is committing to your weekly night out, no matter what is going on or how you’re feeling. When you include friends, you’ll add a bit of friendly peer pressure to make sure you attend. (Of course, if you’re sick or have an emergency, you can allow yourself some grace and reschedule.)

Staying committed to your weekly night out is important, because it’s really easy to skip it if you’re feeling down or anxious — but that’s actually when you need your night out the most! For some people, especially introverts, this mental battle is a little like going to the gym: Sometimes the last thing in the world you want to do is work out, but once you go, you feel really good about yourself. When you’re first starting your weekly night out, you may need to similarly push yourself out of your comfort zone, but over time, you’ll grow to love it and never want to miss it.

Trivia for the Win

My personal #bestmedicine is going out almost every week with my husband to a trivia night. Trivia night features questions on a variety of topics, including celebrities, wordplay, music, and TV. Winners get free bar tabs and other prizes depending on the venue. My husband and I try to go at least several times a month, but on the weeks when we can’t, we make sure to still do something, even if it’s just a relaxing dinner out or playing games with friends.

What I particularly love about our local trivia night is that each round is timed and you have to pay close attention to the questions. It requires creativity and concentration, but it’s also a lot of fun. The concentration part means that, no matter what’s going on in my life, I have to let it go for a while so I can do my best at each round. I’m proud to say that we’ve won quite a few times!

Is there a way that you can make a night out part of your weekly routine? What type of activity would be the #bestmedicine for you? Let us know on Twitter!